Listen Here: Women Writing in Appalachia

When Earth Becomes an "It"

54 LISTEN HERE WOMEN DIE LIKE TREES from Abiding Appalachia: Where Mountain andAtom Meet (1978, 1995) Women die like trees, limb by limb as strain of bearing shade and fruit drains sap from branch and stem and weight of ice with wrench ofwind split the heart, loosen grip of roots until the tree falls with a sighunheard except by those nearbyto lie ... mossing ... mouldering ... to a certain softness under foot, the matrix of new life and leaves. No flag is furled, no cadence beats, no bugle sounds for deaths like these, as limb by limb, women die like trees. WHEN EARTH BECOMES AN "IT" from Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mother's Wisdom (1993) When the people call Earth "Mother," they take with love and with love give back so that all may live. When the people call Earth "it," they use her consume her strength. Then the people die. Already the sun is hot out of season. Our Mother's breast is going dry. She is taking all green into her heart and will not turn back until we call her by her name. MAruLOU AWIAKTA 55 ANOREXIA BULIMIA SPEAKS FROM THE GRAVE from Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mothers Wisdom (1993) Young women, listen to meI 'm talkin' to you. Don't come down here before your time. It's dark and cold. Nothin' doin' down here but the Grandmothers sayin' ''Anorexia Bulimia! Tell the young women this for us: They bound our feet and our toes busted outto travel on, test new waters. They bound our breasts ... our nipples busted out, infra-red eyes to take in what the other two miss. When they bound our middle rib 'n hip busted the stays took the waist with'emfree as they were born. But now, young women-now . .. They've got your soul in a bind, wounded, wound up in electronic wire and hard paper twine that cut images into your brain, She is taking all green into her heart and will not turn back until we call her by her name. MAruLOU AWIAKTA 55 ANOREXIA BULIMIA SPEAKS FROM THE GRAVE from Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mothers Wisdom (1993) Young women, listen to meI 'm talkin' to you. Don't come down here before your time. It's dark and cold. Nothin' doin' down here but the Grandmothers sayin' ''Anorexia Bulimia! Tell the young women this for us: They bound our feet and our toes busted outto travel on, test new waters. They bound our breasts ... our nipples busted out, infra-red eyes to take in what the other two miss. When they bound our middle rib 'n hip busted the stays took the waist with'emfree as they were born. But now, young women-now . .. They've got your soul in a bind, wounded, wound up in electronic wire and hard paper twine that cut images into your brain, ...